The Baltics: from Nation States to Member States
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Winners of the Baltic Assembly Prizes 1994 – 2019 1994 1996 1998
Baltic Assembly Prizes for Literature, the Arts and Science Baltic Innovation Prize Baltic Assembly Medals 6 November 2020 Address by the President of the Baltic Assembly Aadu Must This year the Baltic Assembly, as any contribute to the targeted cooperation of other organisation, has been significantly our states and prosperity of our Baltic affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. region that will be extremely important Despite the difficulties and restrictions to in the years to come. These people meet in person, the traditions of our promote the unity and cooperation of organisation continue but in slightly the Baltic states - we greatly appreciate different format this year. their work. We award the Baltic Assembly Prizes to Unity and cooperation of the Baltic states outstanding people, who have are extremely important for us. We are demonstrated excellence in literature, thankful to all people who feel the same the arts, science and innovation. This way and act in order to bring the countries year’s winners of the Baltic Assembly closer together. The awarding of the Baltic Prizes have used their talent and Assembly Prizes and Medals in Estonia, knowledge to encourage thinking, remind Lithuania and Latvia is our way of saying about the historical milestones of that even though times are tough people are those who hold our nations together Photo by Ieva Ābele (Administration of Parliament of the Republic of Latvia) the Baltic states and make our countries visible in the international arena. Awards and we are grateful for that. We are also have been won in strong competition, as very proud about their achievements. -
UNU CRIS Working Papers
1 | P a g e The author Andrea Cofelice served as Ph.D. Intern at UNU-CRIS in 2011. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science – Comparative and European Politics at the University of Siena. He is also a junior researcher at the Interdepartmental Centre on Human Rights and the Rights of Peoples of the University of Padua. United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies Potterierei 72, 8000 Brugge, BE-Belgium Tel.: +32 50 47 11 00 / Fax.: +32 50 47 13 09 www.cris.unu.edu 2 | P a g e Abstract This paper aims at exploring which factors may promote or inhibit the empowerment of international parliamentary institutions (IPIs). According to the literature (Cutler 2006), an IPI may be defined as an international institution that is a regular forum for multilateral deliberations on an established basis of an either legislative or consultative nature, either attached to an international organization or itself constituting one, in which at least three states or trans-governmental units are represented by parliamentarians, who are either selected by national legislatures in a self-determined manner or popularly elected by electorates of the member states. Their origin dates back to the creation of the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 1889, but they mushroomed after the Second World War, especially after 1989-1991 (new regionalism, also known as open regionalism especially in literature on Latin America), and today their presence is established almost everywhere in the world. However, they display sensibly different features in terms of institutional and organizational patterns, rules and procedures, legal status, membership, resources, functions and powers. -
The Day Holding Hands Changed History Occupation and Annexation of the Baltic States Was Illegal, and Against the Wish of the Respective Nations
The day holding hands changed history occupation and annexation of the Baltic states was illegal, and against the wish of the respective nations. So at 19:00 on 23 August 1989, 50 years after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed, church bells sounded in the Bal- tic states. Mourning ribbons decorated the national flags that had been banned a year before. The participants of the Bal- tic Way were addressed by the leaders of the respective national independence movements: the Estonian Rahvarinne, the Lithuanian Sajūdis, and the Popular Front of Latvia. The following words were chanted – ‘laisvė’, ‘svabadus, ‘brīvība’ (freedom). The symbols of Nazi Germany and the Communist regime of the USSR were burnt on large bonfires. The Baltic states demanded the cessation of the half-century long Soviet occupation, col- onisation, russification and communist genocide. The Baltic Way was a significant step to- wards regaining the national independ- ence of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and a source of inspiration for other region- al independence movements. The live chain was also realised in Kishinev by Ro- manians of the Soviet-occupied Bessara- bia or Moldova, while in January 1990, Ukrainians joined hands on the road from Lviv to Kyiv. Just after the Baltic Way campaign, the Berlin Wall fell, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia began, and the Ceausescu regime in Romania was overthrown. On 23 August 1989, approximately two doomed to be forcedly incorporated into million people stood hand in hand be- the Soviet Union until 1991. The Soviet Un- Recognising the documents of the Baltic tween Tallinn (Estonia), Rīga (Latvia) ion claimed that the Baltic states joined Way as items of documentary heritage of and Vilnius (Lithuania) in one of the voluntarily. -
Chronology of Key Events
Chronology of key events 1990 13 July 1990 With a Declaration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria accepts the invitation extended by NATO to establish regular diplomatic liaison. Mrs. Lea Cohen, Bulgarian Ambassador to Belgium, is authorized to maintain diplomatic liaison with NATO. 1991 4 April 1991 Establishment of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria, the first non-governmental Atlantic association outside NATO member states. Since October 1992, the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria has been associated with the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA), initially as an observer and later as an associate member. 12-14 June 1991 Dr Manfred Wörner pays the first official visit of NATO Secretary General to Bulgaria. 20 December 1991 Bulgaria participates as a co-founding state in the inaugural meeting of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC). 1994 14 February 1994 The President of Bulgaria, Zhelyu Zhelev, signs the Partnership for Peace Framework Document at NATO Headquarters. 25 November 1994 Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Todor Churov visits NATO Headquarters. Bulgaria’s PfP Individual Partnership Program with NATO is formally accepted. 1995 28 September 1995 Bulgaria participates in a meeting at NATO Headquarters for a presentation of the conclusions of the Study on NATO Enlargement to NACC and PfP Cooperation partners. 16 October 1995 Bulgaria accedes to the Status of Forces Agreement between the NATO member states and the PfP countries (ratified by the National Assembly on 5 April 1996). 1996 1996-1998 Bulgaria participates in a number of meetings with NATO within the Intensified Dialogue with interested partners on NATO membership issues. 2-3 May 1996 NATO Secretary General Javier Solana visits Bulgaria. -
Press Release
Press Release Polish Premiere of Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic’s ‘Baltic Sea Voyage’ programme at the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, 26 March 2015, 7.30 pm • Under the baton of Kristjan Järvi at the 19th Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival • BYP LAB from 22-25 March 2015 at the Krzysztof Penderecki Center for Music in Krakow Berlin, 23 March 2015. Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic (BYP) returns to Poland to perform for the first time at the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, on Thursday 26 March at the prestigious concert hall, the Filharmonia Narodowa. Following on from its exhilarating debut at the Warsaw Philharmonic in 2014, BYP will now give the Polish premiere of its electrifying concert programme, Baltic Sea Voyage, under the baton of Founding Conductor and Music Director, Kristjan Järvi. The programme celebrates the rich and diverse musical landscape of the entire region, giving audiences the chance to discover the sounds of the countries bordering the Baltic Sea. Another Polish premiere will be the BYP LAB, the orchestra’s annual innovative educational workshop led by Kristjan Järvi and his team of internationally-renowned coaches. This year BYP LAB takes place at the Krzystzof Penderecki Center for Music in Krakow from 22 to 25 March 2015. Discover the unique sound of the Baltic Sea region Audiences of the Warsaw concert will have the chance to hear music from composers representing every country in the Baltic Sea region: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, and Poland. The programme of musical features 12 pieces of music, and will take audiences on a journey of discovery across the Baltic Sea. -
NATO, the Baltic States, and Russia a Framework for Enlargement
NATO, the Baltic States, and Russia A Framework for Enlargement Mark Kramer Harvard University February 2002 In 2002, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will be initiating its second round of enlargement since the end of the Cold War. In the late 1990s, three Central European countries—Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland—were admitted into the alliance. At a summit due to be held in Prague in November 2002, the NATO heads-of-state will likely invite at least two and possibly as many as six or seven additional countries to join. In total, nine former Communist countries have applied for membership. Six of the prospective new members—Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, and Macedonia—lie outside the former Soviet Union. Of these, only Slovakia and Slovenia are likely to receive invitations. The three other aspiring members of NATO—Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia— normally would stand a good chance of being admitted, but their status has been controversial because they were republics of the Soviet Union until August 1991. Until recently, the Russian government had vehemently objected to the proposed admission of the Baltic states into NATO, and many Western leaders were reluctant to antagonize Moscow. During the past year-and-a-half, however, the extension of NATO membership to the Baltic states in 2002 has become far more plausible. The various parties involved—NATO, the Baltic states, and Russia—have modified their policies in small but significant ways. Progress in forging a new security arrangement in Europe began before the September 2001 terrorist attacks, but the improved climate of U.S.-Russian relations since the attacks has clearly expedited matters. -
Slavic Idea in Political Thought of Underground Poland During World War II Idea Słowiańska W Myśli Politycznej Polski Podziemnej W Czasie II Wojny Światowej
1S[FHMŕE/BSPEPXPžDJPXZ3FWJFXPG/BUJPOBMJUJFTtOS /t World of Slavs / Świat Słowian *44/9 QSJOU t*44/ POMJOF t%0*QO Dariusz Miszewski* War Studies University, Poland / Akademia Sztuki Wojennej, Polska Slavic idea in political thought of underground Poland during World War II Idea słowiańska w myśli politycznej Polski podziemnej w czasie II wojny światowej Keywords: the Slavic idea, the Slavic nations, the Słowa kluczowe: idea słowiańska, narody sło- Polish-Soviet relations wiańskie, stosunki polsko-radzieckie During the Second World War, the Polish W czasie II wojny światowej polski rząd government put forward a plan for a new wysunął plan nowego ładu polityczne- political order in Central Europe. Its in- go w Europie Środkowej. Jej integracja tegration was to be based on the Polish- miała opierać się na federacji polsko-cze- Czechoslovak federation. Apart from the chosłowackiej. Oprócz idei federacyjnej federal idea among the groups in the oc- wśród ugrupowań w okupowanym kra- cupied country as well as in the emigra- ju, jak i na emigracji, szerzyły się idee im- tion, imperial and Slavic ideas spread as perialna i słowiańska jako ideologiczne ideological foundations of Central Euro- podstawy porządku środkowoeuropej- pean order. e Slavic idea was universal skiego. Idea słowiańska była na tyle uni- enough to exist spontaneously and as part wersalna, że występowała samoistnie oraz of the federal and imperial ideas. With- jako część idei federacyjnej i imperialnej. in them, the Slav countries were to form W ich ramach państwa słowiańskie mia- the basis for the regional integration of ły stanowić podstawę integracji regional- states between imperialist Germany and nej państw położonych między imperia- the USSR and the Baltic, Black and Adriat- listycznymi Niemcami i ZSRR oraz Mo- ic Sea. -
Regional Dimension of Participation in Missions Abroad
Regional Dimension of Participation in Missions Abroad Rade Rajkovchevski, MSc and Dimitar Kirkovski, MA Abstract The events in the 90s had serious implications on the peace and stability in Europe and beyond. The collapse of the USSR and Yugoslavia; political instability and the initiation of democratic processes associated with transitional changes in post-socialist countries; the need to redefine national doctrines, including NATO's strategies; the intensifying effects of globalization associated with economic migration and refugee crises; increasing porosity of borders that allowed illegal crossings, trafficking of illicit goods and large influx of people to Europe considerably changed the security picture of the continent. In the areas that were recovering from the consequences of ethnic conflicts, the efforts of the international community to resolve the security issues between states turned out to be the appropriate solution for the acceleration of reforms in the security sector in the framework of fulfilling the requirements set for the Euro-Atlantic integration processes. In 2003 the Adriatic Charter was founded, following the pattern of the Vilnius group several years before in 2000. Thus, the region of Southeastern Europe, from users of services of foreign military missions, began contributing to world peace support missions. Although several years ago it was impossible, today the state representatives and army’ officials think loudly about forming a military unit of the Western Balkans countries which will have the task to train the Afghan security forces, maybe as soon as year 2012. Regional cooperation in the military missions is not an unknown practice in Europe. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, Scandinavian countries, Benelux and others regionally connected countries practiced sending their troops on joint missions decades ago. -
Silke Berndsen Outlook on Baltic Cooperation 1945-2004 at the First
Silke Berndsen Outlook on Baltic Cooperation 1945-2004 At the First Baltic Assembly the Estonian Mati Hint evoked the unity of the Baltic nations in his manifesto “the Baltic Way". The Baltic way soon after became known beyond the three Baltic states when approximately two million people joined their hands to form a human chain across the three Baltic states on 23 August 1989 during a a peaceful political demonstration that carried the same name. In the months that followed, the popular fronts made numerous joint appeals to international organizations and foreign governments. When they had declared independence from the Soviet Union, the governments of the Baltic States were quick to renew the suspended Baltic Treaty on Unity and Cooperation signed on 12 September 1934 with an explicit reference to the "historical experience of our trilateral cooperation" and with the aim to "continue and develop political and economic cooperation among our three states". Only a few years later, the Baltic States argued over border demarcations between their countries, fought "egg wars", "herring wars", "pork wars" and competed as to which of them would be the first to join the EU and NATO. Prominent politicians in Estonia and Lithuania no longer wanted their countries to be labelled as "Baltic", but as “Nordic“ (in case of Estonia) or Central European (in case of Lithuania). So, what had happened? Did Baltic ceased to serve as an identity anchor just within a few years? And what did this mean for cooperation among the Baltic states, which was initiated by the 1990 Treaty and further institutionalised in subsequent years? Based on constructivist approaches in cultural studies, my presentation assumes that territorial spaces are analytical categories with context-dependent attributions. -
Statement by the Heads of State and Government Of
STATEMENT BY THE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF ALBANIA, BULGARIA, CROATIA, ESTONIA, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, MACEDONIA, ROMANIA, SLOVAKIA AND SLOVENIA ON THE OCCASION OF NATO SUMMIT IN PRAGUE (25.11.2002) [1] We, the Heads of State and Government of Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, reaffirm that political solidarity and a commitment to the democratic values will continue to be the foundation of our cooperation with each other and with NATO allies. [2] In the two and a half years since we first met in Vilnius, Lithuania, we have sought to make our own contribution to a Europe that is free, and united by the fundamental principles of democracy, free market economy, and human rights. We have also set the goal of acting in solidarity in response to the new threats to the Euro-Atlantic community. To this end, we have joined NATO nations in operations from Kosovo to Kabul and have acted as members of the Alliance in the fight against terrorism. [3] We welcome the decision of the North Atlantic Council to invite Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to begin accession talks with NATO. This decision is a success for all of our countries and a success for democracy. It is also a recognition of the tremendous efforts our countries put into reforms. We believe that Albania, Croatia and Macedonia are an essential part of the Euro-Atlantic community and should be invited to begin accession talks at the earliest opportunity. We are committed to accelerate the process of reform in each of our countries and to work together to support the aspiration of Albania, Croatia and Macedonia for membership in NATO. -
The Baltic Sea Region the Baltic Sea Region
TTHEHE BBALALTTICIC SSEAEA RREGIONEGION Cultures,Cultures, Politics,Politics, SocietiesSocieties EditorEditor WitoldWitold MaciejewskiMaciejewski A Baltic University Publication A chronology of the history 7 of the Baltic Sea region Kristian Gerner 800-1250 Vikings; Early state formation and Christianization 800s-1000s Nordic Vikings dominate the Baltic Region 919-1024 The Saxon German Empire 966 Poland becomes Christianized under Mieszko I 988 Kiev Rus adopts Christianity 990s-1000s Denmark Christianized 999 The oldest record on existence of Gdańsk Cities and towns During the Middle Ages cities were small but they grew in number between 1200-1400 with increased trade, often in close proximity to feudal lords and bishops. Lübeck had some 20,000 inhabitants in the 14th and 15th centuries. In many cities around the Baltic Sea, German merchants became very influential. In Swedish cities tensions between Germans and Swedes were common. 1000s Sweden Christianized 1000s-1100s Finland Christianized. Swedish domination established 1025 Boleslaw I crowned King of Poland 1103-1104 A Nordic archbishopric founded in Lund 1143 Lübeck founded (rebuilt 1159 after a fire) 1150s-1220s Denmark dominates the Baltic Region 1161 Visby becomes a “free port” and develops into an important trade center 1100s Copenhagen founded (town charter 1254) 1100s-1200s German movement to the East 1200s Livonia under domination of the Teutonic Order 1200s Estonia and Livonia Christianized 1201 Riga founded by German bishop Albert 1219 Reval/Tallinn founded by Danes ca 1250 -
Depopulation in the Baltic States
DEPOPULATION IN THE BALTIC STATES Peteris Zvidrins Centre of Demography, University of Latvia 19 Rainis boulv., Riga, Latvia LV 1586, Phone: 371-67034787 or 371-29103629 (mob.) Fax: 371-67034787 E-mail: [email protected] The purpose of this paper is to characterize the level and dynamics of population reproduction in the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) in the last two decades and analyze determinants of population decline. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the regaining of political independence in the Baltic States cardinally changed social and economic conditions and demographic developments. This inevitably led to fundamental changes in reproductive and migratory behaviour of population. As a result, the net migration in all Baltic States has become negative since 1990, and only in Estonia and Lithuania it was slightly positive in some years around the turn of centuries. After the accession to the European Union in 2004 emigration from the Baltic States even increased. The excess of deaths over births has been since 1991. A characteristic feature of the demographic development is the decrease of the population (depopulation) both the titular ethnicities (Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians) and ethnic minorities. The total number of population in the Baltics decreased from 7.9 million in 1990 to less than 7.0 in 2009, or by 12%. Thus, the Baltic States have one of the highest population loss indicators in the world. Estonia and Latvia have had a low fertility rate since the beginning of the 20th century, and it has not ensured even a simple level of population replacement.